Oliver Glasner is thriving in the Premier League with Crystal Palace, and that has forced interest from Bayern Munich. However, Palace is not readily willing to let its new manager go. Glasner only joined the Selhurst Park club in February as a replacement for Roy Hodgson. Yet, Glasner has rattled off five wins in Palace’s last six games. Overall, Glasner has 21 points from 11 Premier League games in charge of the Eagles.
That recent upturn in form, largely attributed to players understanding Glasner’s philosophy, made Bayern Munich come calling. Crystal Palace effectively ended that inquiry early by expressing their lofty demands. According to Bild, Palace put an asking price of over $100 million for Glasner to exit his current contract. Glasner signed a contract that is good for the next two years. Plus, with its current form, the club thinks it has a coach to build around.
Bild added that Bayern Munich was prepared to give Crystal Palace around $20 million to bring on Glasner. Moreover, the Austrian was open to the move. Reports indicate the manager has his sights set on the Champions League, a competition he wants to win before he retires. As of now, Glasner is 49 and has won the Europa League. The Champions League would be the natural next step in his career.
Regardless, his immediate future is in the Premier League with Crystal Palace. Bayern Munich will not pay such a high fee for a manager. Therefore, Palace can continue to work around Glasner as its head coach.
Blocking Bayern helps Palace build around Oliver Glasner
Even if Bayern is a career goal for Glasner, he can continue to workshop his methodology at Crystal Palace. Glasner has repeatedly defended his ambition to be an attacking-minded coach, as seen with his introductory comments at Palace.
“The philosophy is easy; it is scoring goals. As I tell the players, this is why we started playing football. No one went on the pitch when they were young to defend. We should never forget this.”
Palace has exhibited this mentality in recent games. Bournemouth, under the leadership of another promising coach, has been the only team to hold Palace scoreless since Glasner took over. Notable results for Crystal Palace under Glasner include the 4-0 pounding of Manchester United, a five-goal outburst against West Ham and a recent 3-1 win over Wolves. However, Palace also defeated Liverpool at Anfield 1-0, which may be the most impressive result of his brief stint thus far.
This denial of Bayern Munich does not rule out a move for Oliver Glasner in the future. Based on the nature of Crystal Palace, his performances at Selhurst Park may be a stepping stone for a bigger move in the coming years. Although by that time Bayern Munich may not be searching for a new coach, other jobs will be available.
If Palace can hold onto some of its talents, notably Michael Olise or Eberechi Eze, it may be able to challenge for a European place in the future. That is the type of form the club has shown recently. Consequently, that could drive more clubs to desire Glasner.
PHOTOS: IMAGO
